Recently in the spotlight

Tibor Navracsics

Major blow to Orbán: Navracsics not suitable for culture and education post, according to MEPs

Members of the European Pariament have determined that Tibor Navracsics, Hungary’s previous foreign affairs minister and earlier the country’s justice minister, is not fit to serve as the European Union’s commissioner for culture and education. Mr. Navracsics was the first candidate to be rejected during the current round of hearings. BBC News noted that this was a major slap in […]

by · October 6, 2014 · Politics
Örkény Theatre: "This Land Accepts You" (Photo: Beatrix Gergely)

Hungary & the Holocaust: Örkény Theatre production looks at the “beast” within

“There’s a country (namely, Hungary), which ever since the late 19th century has had a habit of ridding itself of entire sections of its population. If the targeted groups don’t realize what’s going on quickly enough and if they don’t flee, then their homeland may end up murdering them”–thus begins Örkény Theatre’s summary of its newest play, entitled “This Land […]

by · October 4, 2014 · Culture
Extra Hungariam

Canada’s Extra Hungariam Foundation entertainer has pro-Jobbik sympathies

A new organization has been announced to support and promote Hungarian culture in Canada. The Extra Hungariam Foundation (yes, Hungariam) plans to create a foundation “of significant financial proportion” which will provide perpetual funding to support Hungarian cultural activities in Canada. “Extra Hungariam non est vita,” in Latin, means “there is no life outside Hungary.” (You may find the foundation’s […]

by · October 4, 2014 · Diaspora
Deputy State Secretary Szabolcs Takács in Ottawa, Canada.

Orbán government’s deputy state secretary met with Democratic Charter’s questions in Ottawa

The Canadian Hungarian Democratic Charter (CHDC) was present at a roundtable discussion hosted by Carleton University’s Centre for European Studies, in Ottawa. The roundtable, held on September 29th, 2014, explored avenues of international cooperation among Visegrád 4 countries. Considering the Orbán government’s overt move away from western-style liberal democracy and nearly constant international controversy, the Charter’s three spokespersons present at the event — […]

by · October 2, 2014 · Diaspora
Goy Bikers/Goj motorosok visiting the European Parliament on Mr. Szanyi's dime.

Hungarian Socialist MEP entertains far-right bikers in Brussels

Tibor Szanyi, currently a Member of the European Parliament and one of the most prominent politicians in the Hungarian Socialist Party, reportedly entertained a group of far right-wing bikers in Brussels this summer. The story is so bizarre, that one would be inclined to think that it was made up by a talented political satirist. Mr. Szanyi, after all, is […]

by · September 28, 2014 · Politics
Black Sky, White Cloud at Budapest's National Theatre. Photo: Bea Gergely.

Black Sky, White Cloud: Budapest’s National Theatre looks at hundredth anniversary of World War I

Budapest’s National Theatre (Nemzeti Színház) is marking the hundredth anniversary of the First World War I with a play based on a largely unknown piece written by Ferenc Molnár (1878-1952). The early twentieth century author is a household name in Hungary, thanks in large part to his coming-of-age novel, The Paul Street Boys (1907), which is essentially canonical young adult […]

by · September 27, 2014 · Culture
Canadian War Museum in Ottawa.

Canadian War Museum opens exhibit on Eastern European internment

The Canadian War Museum, in partnership with the Ukrainian Canadian Civil Liberties Foundation, is opening an exhibit on the internment of Eastern Europeans, including Hungarians, from 1914 to 1920. This represented Canada’s first national internment operations, which resulted in the creation of 24 internment camps, most in remote locations, and the internment of over 8,000 Europeans from the lands of the Austro-Hungarian […]

by · September 26, 2014 · Diaspora
Gellért Rajcsányi, a blogger with the pro-Fidesz Mandiner site.

Gellért Rajcsányi and Tamás Pindroch — Two right-wingers react to Obama’s speech

If I had to define or characterize the reaction to the news of Barack Obama’s speech, I would call it frustrated and helpless anger. Right-wing pundits and some in government (Lajos Kósa or the Christian Democrats – KDNP, in specific) responded like an indignant teenager with a deep inferiority complex. KDNP politician Imre Vejkey wondered if the “fate of Ökotárs kept Obama […]

by · September 25, 2014 · Focus
CHEF Board members: Christopher Adam, Kevin Burns, Catherine Bélanger, Mark Curfoot-Mollington.

Canada-Hungary Educational Foundation explores fall programs

The Ottawa-based Canada-Hungary Educational Foundation’s board held its autumn planning meeting on September 9th, 2014 to review some of its work over the past year and to chart a direction moving forward. Now in its ninth year of existence, there was agreement that scholarship and internship programs should continue to form an important part of CHEF’s work, especially building on […]

by · September 25, 2014 · Diaspora
Photo: White House

Obama lumps Hungary in with anti-western, authoritarian regimes

Last week, former U.S. President Bill Clinton commented on the Daily Show, that with his brand of authoritarian capitalism, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán wants little more than to stay in power indefinitely and become wealthy through dubious means. (“Usually these guys just want to stay forever and make a lot of money,”–said Mr. Clinton.) The collective heart of the Orbán […]

by · September 24, 2014 · Politics